Armed groups allegedly supported by Rwanda are responsible for the deaths of over 140 civilians in eastern Congo, according to a human rights organization's statement.

In a shocking turn of events, the M23 armed group has been accused of committing summary executions of primarily Hutu civilians in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. According to a report by Human Rights Watch, at least 140 people were killed in farming communities in July, with 47 identified bodies, including children, found in the aftermath.

Clementine de Montjoye, a senior researcher at Human Rights Watch, stated that the M23 rebels were responsible for the massacres. Witnesses reported that M23 soldiers, accompanied by Rwandan soldiers, instructed victims to bury the dead in fields or leave them unburied, preventing families from organizing funerals.

The killings appear to be part of a military campaign by the M23 group against the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR). Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty International's regional director for East and Southern Africa, called on both Rwanda and Congo to hold all perpetrators accountable.

The conflict in eastern Congo has been described by the UN as one of the most protracted, complex, and serious humanitarian crises on Earth. The killings occurred near Virunga National Park in North Kivu province. A woman described being marched with a group of around 70 people to a riverbank near Kafuru, where they were lined up and shot at by soldiers.

This is not the first time the M23 rebels have been accused of extrajudicial killings. They have previously been accused of such crimes during their seizure of major cities this year. The Human Rights Watch report also claims that the Rwanda Defense Force was involved in the M23 operations.

Amnesty International released a separate report on Wednesday, stating that both M23 and Congolese government-sponsored militias regularly commit mass atrocities and sexual violence against civilians, including gang rape. The M23 rebels are reportedly supported by the Rwandan state, with UN experts confirming Rwanda's army played a decisive role in M23's offensives since 2021.

Despite a peace agreement signed by Congo and Rwanda in June 2025, fighting has continued, and M23 has recently withdrawn from peace talks accusing the Congolese government of not fully implementing a ceasefire. There was no immediate comment from the Rwandan government regarding the report.

The United States and others have been trying to achieve a permanent ceasefire between the M23 and Congolese forces since January. Nearly 2 million Hutus from Rwanda fled to Congo after the 1994 Rwandan genocide, and the continued violence in the region has raised concerns about a potential repeat of the past.

Armed groups allegedly supported by Rwanda are responsible for the deaths of over 140 civilians in eastern Congo, according to a human rights organization's statement.